Fiberglass and composite parts may develop pinhole surface defects during manufacturing. Such pinhole defects are typically generated after a part has gone through a high temperature curing, e.g., in an autoclave. Pinhole defects can be as small as 0.001 inch in diameter and are thus extremely difficult to detect with the naked eye. There are no currently known nondestructive testing techniques available for detection of pinholes on bare (unpainted) fiberglass and composite parts. After a part has been painted with pinholes on the surface, the pinhole defects become easier to detect and a painted part having pinhole defects will likely be rejected by the customer. However, repairing a part with pinhole defects after painting can be very expensive and time consuming. Many fiberglass and composite parts are formed over internal honeycomb structures, and pinhole defects can provide a much higher surface porosity than desired through the fiberglass or composite layer.
To overcome problems with fiberglass and composite parts having pinhole defects, it is common to coat all manufactured fiberglass and composite parts with a filter-type material. Parts coated in this manner must also be sanded after the filler-type material dries and before painting. The additional steps of coating and sanding every part, whether or not a pinhole exists in such part, is costly, time-consuming and generates a great deal of chemical waste.
Accordingly, there is a need for a system and method which overcomes the drawbacks of the conventional systems and methods described above.